The former Glee star had been missing for several hours and it was only when police on another call out saw his abandoned car that the body was discovered.

A person stands near the spot where Salling was found dead (Picture: AP)

Salling’s lawyer, Michael J Proctor confirmed the actor’s death in a statement to Metro.co.uk.

‘Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment,’ he said. ‘He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected.’

Toxicology reports have yet to be released.

Mark Salling’s body was found in a riverbed (Picture: Mega)

The actor – who starred as Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman on popular TV series Glee, appearing as a main character from 2009-2015 – was facing four to seven years in prison for child porn possession.

First arrested in 2015 after a search warrant discovered thousands of images of child porn on his personal computer, he was then indicted on two counts of child pornography, including one count of possessing an image of a child under the age of 12.

Facing 20 years behind bars, he entered a plea deal that involved serving time and registering as a sex offender under supervised release for two decades following his prison sentence.